Abstract:  China′s enterprises have engaged in digital transformation for high-quality development, but few of them have achieved positive digital innovation performance. However, the ways to enhance digital innovation performance have received far less attention from the academia. In the digital world of high risk and uncertainty, most enterprises in China follow the logic of “crossing the river by fumbling for stones” in their digital practices. This logic is aligned with the effectuation logic proposed by Sarasvathy. So, does effectuation logic facilitate digital innovation performance? How does it work? Scholars have not yet explored these questions. Hence, the core research issue of this paper is to investigate whether and how effectuation logic affects digital innovation performance.The logic of “crossing the river by fumbling for stones” is prone to serendipity, and the development and exploitation of serendipity creates new opportunities and discoveries for enterprises, enabling them to create better digital solutions. In addition, organizational members develop artificial intelligence awareness during the digitization process of an enterprise. Under the effect of artificial intelligence awareness, organization members may resist the applications of digital technologies in the enterprise and engage in negative learning behaviors, which may affect the function of effectuation logic on digital innovation performance.Based on the effectuation logic theory, this paper investigated the impact of effectuation logic on digital innovation performance and the moderating and mediating effects of artificial intelligence awareness and serendipity in the relationship between effectuation logic and digital innovation performance. A sample of 209 manufacturing companies was tested for reliability and validity using SPSS, and regression analysis method was used to test the research hypotheses. The results showed that: (1) the effectuation logic positively affects digital innovation performance; (2) the effectuation logic positively affects serendipity, and serendipity partially mediates the relationship between effectuation logic and digital innovation performance; and (3) the artificial intelligence awareness negatively moderates the relationship between effectuation logic and digital innovation performance.The theoretical contribution lies in the following three aspects. First, this paper expanded the research on the antecedent variables of digital innovation performance and the application scenarios of effectuation logic. The current effectuation logic-related studies are mainly focused on entrepreneurship, and there are few empirical studies based on digital context. At the same time, few digital innovation-related studies cover digital innovation performance. Based on effectuation logic theory, this paper investigates the impact of effectuation logic on digital innovation performance, which reinforces the dialogue between the two research fields of effectuation logic and digitalization. Second, this paper expanded the research on the antecedent and outcome variables of serendipity and advanced the development of the serendipity theory in China. There are few empirical studies on serendipity, and fewer studies have integrated serendipity with enterprise digitalization. Using an empirical research approach, this paper examined the mediating effect of serendipity in the relationship between effectuation logic and digital innovation performance, which injects new dimensions into the research on enterprise digitization. Third, it effectively bridged the gap in the focus on artificial intelligence awareness in existing digitalization research. Most of the studies address the positive impact of digitalization on enterprises, but few have dealt with the psychological stress of digitalization on organizational members. This paper investigated the effect of artificial intelligence awareness on the relationship between effectuation logic and digital innovation performance, which significantly complements existing research.This paper has some practical managerial implications. First, enterprises′ digitalization cannot be achieved smoothly, so enterprises should guide their digital practices with effectuation logic as opposed to causation, which emphasizes avoidance of unexpected situations. Second, enterprises should emphasize the identification and utilization of serendipity in the process of digitization. Third, enterprises should highlight the personal growth and career development of organization members in digitalization to avoid the adverse effects of artificial intelligence awareness.

Key words: effectuation logic, serendipity, digital innovation performance, artificial intelligence awareness